Mama robin and her babies ...

After my Human returned yesterday from a business trip to San Francisco she had quite the warm welcome from the entire family! Not only was she welcomed by one Human, 3 big black dogs, and 1 tuxedo cat .... but while relaxing and lounging in the back yard she got to see a mama robin feeding her babies. She rushed inside to grab her camera and came out to catch a shot of the mama robin resting momentarily, with a beak full of worms. For weeks we have watched her diligently, without question, sitting on her eggs. I like to lay against the brick wall on the north side of the house ... with my double coat, I get pretty hot so I'm always looking for a cool spot in the back yard to take my naps. You gotta remember, i'm from up north in the Red Lake reservation area so I can handle the frigid temperatures!

My Human was mesmerized by the mama robin and her babies. We counted four beaks in the nest. I have to say though, mama bird did not pick a very smart place to build her nest, at least from my perspective. My brother Mister caught two baby birds a couple weeks ago, and yes, they crossed over to the other side, thanks to my crazy brother! My Humans were not happy with him. I could hear him mumbling his defense ... something about survival of the fittest, it's part of nature, blah, blah, blah .... His defense didn't stand a chance over the obvious dismay and screaming of my Humans. Me ... well, i see both sides of the story.

Now my Humans are concerned about the baby robins falling from their nest. If they fall into our back yard they fall into the fast track to the other side (i.e. the express route on Rainbow Bridge!) with Mister anxiously waiting for a delicious snack. Yesterday, one of my Humans rigged up a "safety device". Check it out on the photo on the left :) Her hope is that if they fall that they will slide into the other side of our fence. I'm not convinced it will work, but I give her an "A+" for effort!

Of course, my Human has made Henry the kitty very happy who perches himself on the window --- premium seating. One would think that the Nature's variety natural raw diet he's fed (and he now gets rabbit!) would satisfy him ... but apparently not!

As for my Human -- her wish is that the baby robins have a successful first flight when that time arrives .... there's not much room for errors or mistake this go around on their first flight out! I can try to protect them from my brother Mister, but when he has his mind set on something, it's impossible to woof any sense into him!!

My brother Mister after his training run!

So my brother Mister (co-captain of Pet Haven's The Fast and the Furballs team) and my Human went on their training run yesterday morning! The crazy boy was so excited about the run ... which, forgive me, but I just don't get it! He was literally dragging our Human out the door at 7:15 in the morning to get to the lake of the Isle for the run. Of course, I'm the smart one and I continued sleeping on our red couch in the living room.

Well Mister is pretty excited about this 5K-9 run which is happening on 5/31. You should check out the Furballs in training blog as he was the star today!

After he got back from the run he was one tired pup! Our Human wanted to get a photo of him with his bandana and tried to get him to sit upright ... there was no moving that boy!

My brother definitely has a lot more energy than I do ... but he is pretty cute and I do love him. He wants me to ask you to make a donation.... he said he'll take any amount! If you feel so inclined you can visit his Firstgiving page.

Don't make me beg!

Okay, my brother Mister is co-captain of Pet Haven's The Fast and the Furballs team. They're training for a 5K-9 run/walk on 5/31 to raise money for his homeless pals (dogs and cats!). He's upset with our Human because she's waited so long before trying to raise money.

I'm tired of him complaining to me ... all i hear him say is "why the @&#!!** did she wait till 2 weeks before our run to start asking for money? Does she think i'm doing this just because it's fun??? Doesn't she know we have a serious problem and that my homeless pals need all the help they can get??"

So friends, help me out here, okay?? I love my Human. She's had a lot going on lately and her mind just hasn't been on raising money for my sibling's noble effort.

Also ... I can't take my brother complaining anymore!! Please, please can you spare a few pennies and make a small donation. It would make him happy, which in turn would make me very happy.

You can make a donation at Mister's fundraising page and you can learn more about the event on the Pet Haven website.

What will be will be ...

My Human has had a lot on her mind lately ... with her efforts on starting a new animal welfare coalition, Minnesota Partnership for Animal Welfare (MnPAW) and her health. This week she goes in for a surgical biopsy. She is hoping that the results of the pathology report will come in before the end of the week. She's trying not to worry but I can tell she's worried. I've been trying to remind her of her time up in Ely last summer when she got to hang out with the wolves and the bears. I'm trying to remind her that worrying won't help. I also keep telling her that whatever the outcome, it will be okay. I keep telling her that she needs to take up the Ahnung motto right now (my friend the bear shares my motto) ..... chill, bask in the sun, nap, don't worry, and be cool ... what will be, will be (wasn't there a song that goes something like que sera sera??). Humans worry too much about everything. Be a dog. Be a bear. And just be.

I hate running!

This weekend was gorgeous so my Human wanted to get lots of walks and runs in ... don't get me wrong, I think it's great that she wants to do that. I especially like it when she takes my brother Mister on runs because that boy has more energy than he knows what to do with! My Human says running with him isn't even enough because that doesn't even wear him out. She has to take him to dog parks where he can run -- fast, free and furious!

So on Saturday my Human and her partner decided to take all three of us for a walk/run down to the Mississippi River. Apparently Missy is the only "perfect" walking dog ... no tugging, pulling or getting distracted. My Human's partner seems to think i'm stubborn sometimes. I don't know where she gets that idea :) So my Human got stuck with Mister and me ... or to be more accurate, I got stuck with her which meant I had to run with her. Well ... I am NOT, let me repeat that one more time ... I am NOT a runner. Mister is yanking on her left arm trying to get her to go faster, and I'm yanking on her right arm trying to get her to slow down. Not a pretty sight. For those driving by they probably found it amusing.

So, I plop down in the back yard when we finally get home. I think my Human figures out that taking me for a run is not enjoyable for her, and it's certainly not enjoyable for me.

We have an understanding now. I lounge on the red couch and sleep while she takes my crazy brother for a run. All is well when we can come to a mutual understanding and respect of what works for both of us. A little yanking on her arm, and a little over dramatization of how much she has "tortured" me when I crash in the back yard ... not much to get my Human to see things from my perspective. Yes, life is good now.